Welcome to the Hog Blog, a blog chronicling minor-league baseball in the Lehigh Valley. Tom Housenick, The Morning Call's IronPigs beat writer, has been at The Morning Call since 2008. In a previous lifetime, he was at Lackawanna County Stadium in Moosic talking with future Phillies Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard, among many others.
He’ll now be spending his summers in search of who the Phillies are hoping to be the next Chase Utley and Cole Hamels plus any outfielder who catch and hit. What he really hopes to find are the next Mariano Rivera, Todd Helton and Jim Thome --- great human beings who happened to be great at this sport.
He spent the last five years covering Colonial League football, college basketball and high school track & field.

Here's a bit more info to absorb, along with the several inches of rain we're due to get before game-time ...

The pitching probables for the series:

WED: RHP Dave Bush (1-2, 3.91) vs. RHP Matt Fox (10-4, 3.96)

THU: LHP Ryan Edell (5-5, 3.27) vs. RHP Tony Pena, Jr. (9-6, 3.56)

FRI: RHP Brian Bass (8-10, 3.81) vs. RHP Alex Wilson (1-0, 3.43)

SAT: RHP Scott Mathieson (2-2, 3.28) vs. TBA @ PAW

SUN: RHP Nate Bump (5-9, 4.97) vs. TBA @ PAW

About the PawSox: Won first division title since 2003 and reached the 80-win plateau for only the seventh time in 39-year-history … Trailed the IronPigs by 8 1/2 games on June 14 but won 11 of their next 50 to pull even by early August and are 49-29 in their last 78 games … Won eight of their last 11 after falling a game behind on August 24 … 11th-time in playoffs, bidding for six Governors’ Cup championship berth (won in 1984, 1973) … Set team records for double plays (151) and highest fielding percentage (.984) while making just 84 errors, third-lowest in the IL … Led league with club-record 42 road wins, one more than IronPigs … Have also won 18 of their last 28 at McCoy Stadium … Have scored four or more runs in 47 of their last 71 games … Have won 15 games in their final at-bat — but has also lost 14 in opponent’s last at-bat … Lost four key player to Red Sox in September — P Felix Doubront (2-5, 4.22), C Ryan Lavarnway (.295-18-55 in 61 games), IF Nate Spears (.248-8-46) and P Kyle Weiland (8-10, 3.68), who probably would’ve been the Game One starter. Also, P Brandon Duckworth (8-6, 3.97) is on the DL and is questionable.About the IronPigs: Won last four games of the season to secure wild-card berth and first playoff appearance in franchise’s four-year history … 20th playoff appearance by Phillies Triple-A team since 1948, and first since 2006 (Scranton) … Won 30 of 42 to open up six-game division lead on June 14, and were 19 games over .500 (62-43) on four-game lead on July 27. But then lost 21 of last 39 including six of seven before final four-game win streak …Came from behind to earn exactly half of their 80 wins, including nine wins when trailing after the seventh inning … Bullpen posted a combined 2.82 ERA during regular season with league-leading 47 saves … Staff is third in IL in ERA (3.68) an has issued just 401 walks, second-fewest in IL … Offense ranks 11th with .256 average, 12th in on-base percentage, ninth in runs scored and home runs … Also rank last in IL with .232 average with runners in scoring position, well under league average of .258. That mark is league-low .199 with two outs.